Canvas-stretcher.



No. 876,345. PATBNTED JAN.14, 1908.

J. G. GOSSAL A. T. HANSEN.

' CANVAS STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1907.

'WITNSSSES 2/ INVENTORS )l/fer A drae 711M5 2 7512 21 C g flffornel sTHE NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT oEErcE.

JOHN C. GOSS AND ANDREW T. HANSEN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

CANVAS-STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Application filed July 31' 1907 Serial No. 386348.

have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Canvas-Stretchers,of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accon'ipanying drawings.

This invention relates to means for applying canvas or thelike ascovering to the decks, cabin lioors, etc., of a vessel, whereby it maybe drawn as taut as desired and out while in place, without waste.

The invention consists in the. matters here inafter set forth, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a View in perspective of aportion of a ships deck, with adjoining rail and side, together with adevice for stretching canvas thereon which embodies the features of theinvention. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the end portion of aclamp. Fig. 3 is a view, partially in section of a state room wall andfloor, showing the application of a clamp to an inclosed floor or deckspace.

In the drawings, 1 represents a portion of a ships deck with adjacentrail 2, scupper strake 3 and fender strake 4, secured to the ships side5.

A bolt or strip of canvas 6 is also shown athwartship on the deck, itsend, not shown, being permanently secured to the opposite side of thedeck. To draw the canvas taut, a clamp is secured transversely on thestrip near the ship's rail. This clamp consists of a flat lower member 7and upper member 8, of equal size and rectangular form longer than thewidth of the canvas, preferably of wood. The upper member has dependingmarginal flanges 9 conveniently made by securing [lat metal strips tothe edges of the board or plank by screws 10 or the like, the projectingportions 11 being slightly flared or rolled outwardly.' The jaws ormembers are secured together at each end by hand bolts 12, each. ofwhich passes centrally through metal cross-straps 13 screwed or nailedto the upper face of the upper member across its end, and the bodies ofthe member, and has screwthreaded engagement with the metal bar 21 whichis secured on the under side of the lower member across the end. Acollar or flange 14 integrally formed on the bolt e11- gages thecross-strap 13, so that the clamp is drawn togetner when the bolt isturned, as by a suitable handle 15.

The length of each of the upper crossstraps 13 is greater than the widthof the clamp, and the projecting ends are each apertured or formed with.an eye 16.

A tail block 17 of a tackle 18 having single, double or multiplepurchase, is hooked into each eye, and the fall block 19 is providedwith a hook 20 adapted to pass under the ships rail and hook over thefender strake 4 on the ships side.

In applying the clamp, the lower member is slipped through under thecanvas strip, near tne ships side, and the upper member placed over itand drawn down by the bolts, thellanges folding the canvas and grippingit tightly without injuring or puncturing it. The tackle is then hookedon and by setting up on the ropes, the canvas is drawn as taut asdesired, and the strip tacked to the deck beyond the clamp which may bereadily released and removed, the slack occasioned by the folding aroundthe flanges being overcome by pulling the strip slightly tighter than isfinally desired.

In using the clamp in a state room, where the tackle is not available, apair of scantlings are adjusted as shown in Fig. 3with their adjacentends abutting and their outer ends bearing against the clamp and wall,the toggle joint e'llect straining the canvas taut readily, and allowingit to be permanently secured outside of the clamp as before.

The pull or thrust directly in line with the canvas and at each marginof the strip, onables the user to increase or lessen the strain so thatcanvas may be drawn evenly over the irregular or curved surfaces whichare the result of the sheer lines of a boat, and which do not admit ofthe use of the ordinary forms of stretchers available for laying carpetsor the like on flat, plane surfaces. ,Further more, the gripping of thefabric uniformly throughout its width at every point, transmits the pulldirectly to every part of the warp, so that the great strain to whichthe canvas is subjected is evenly distributed and does not weaken anyparticular portion.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. A canvas stretcher comprising a pair of parallel, flat rectangularclamping jaws, provided with longitudinal marginal flanges on the upperjaw adapted to close over the corresponding edges of the lower jaw, aclamping hand bolt havinga shoulder, said bolt jaws, a clamping boltpassing centrally passing through one of said jaws and havingscrew-threaded engagement with the other of said jaws, and a pair offalls, whose tackle blocks are adapted respectively to detachably engagethe clamping jaws at either end and to hook over a fender strake or thelike on a ships side.

2. A canvas stretcher comprising a pair of parallel, wooden clampingjaws, having longitu'dinal, flat metal flanges secured on the sidemargins of the upper jaw, adapted to close over the side margins of thelower jaw, a metal cross bar secured across the underside of the lowerjaw near each end, a metal cross strap secured on the upper side of theupper aw near each end, a clamping handbolt passing through each crossstrap and j aw, having screw-threaded engagement with the correspondingcross bar, eyes formed in each cross-strap extending over the margin ofthe jaw, and a pair of falls, whose tackle blocks are severally adaptedto engage the strap eyes and hook over an adjacent fender strake on theship side.

3. A canvas stretcher comprising a pair of corresponding wooden clampingjaws, whose longitudinal margins are parallel, flat metal flange barssecured on the longitudinal margins of the upper jaw, whose dependingedges are slightly outwardly flared, and adapted to close over thecorresponding margins of the lower jaw, a flat metal cross-bar securedacross the underside of the lower jaw at each end thereof, a flat metalcross strap secured on the upper side of the upper jaw across each endthereof, the corresponding apertured ends of said straps projectingbeyond the through each strap and the jaws, having a collar integralwith the bolt against the upper face of the strap, and havingscrewthreaded engagement with a central aperture in the correspondingcross-bar, and a fall secured by a hook on one tackle block to theapertured end of a cross-strap and by a hook on the other block to anadjacent portion of a ships fender strake.

4. Acanvas stretcher comprising a pair of flat, rectangular, woodenclamping jaws placed face to face, outwardly flared flange irons securedon the longitudinal edges of the upper aw, extending over thecorrespondlng edges of the lower jaw throughout their length, metalcross-straps secured on the upper side of the upper jaw across each end,an eyelet integral with each strap projecting from one edge of the jaw,metal cross bars secured on the underside of the lower jaw across eachend, shouldered hand bolts pass-.

ing centrally through each end of the jaws,

bearing against the cross-straps and having screw-threaded engagementwith the crossbars, a tail block hooked into the eye of eachcross-strap, multiple blocks having hooks adapted to engage a fenderstrake, and ropes, each attached to the tail blocks and rove through thecompanion multiple block and the said tail block.

In testimony whereof we afliX our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN C. GOSS.

ANDREW T. HANSEN. Witnesses:

HENRY H. EWING, CHAS. XVITTWER, Jr.

